White Shadows
by Silvershadowfire
Summary: When Yami Bakura tries to kill his hikari in his sleep, a new Shadow Game begins. Who will win, the Light or the Dark? Not yaoi, adult themes.
1. A New Game Begins

Well, people, my muse walked in with the 2X4 labeled "Ryou and Bakura" and slapped me upside the head with it. So here you have a sequel to my one-shot. Hope you like.

Note: Blame it on my sense of equality, but I think that Ryou would have the same ability to use the Ring that Bakura would - he just isn't as practised. After all, Yugi can use the Puzzle, right?

Disclaimer - No character used in this piece of fiction is mine. I'm just borrowing them for the entertainment of myself and a few other people, for no monetary compensation whatsoever. So please don't sue - I don't have anything worth it anyhow. Thank you, Takahashi-sensei. {low bow of gratitude.}

Just for a change of pace, this is in Ryou's POV.

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White Shadows - Chapter 1 - A New Game

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Two months later.

I woke to the familiar sound of demented laughter. For a moment I thought it merely the remnants of a nightmare, until I opened my eyes to find the nightmare had become reality. My yami stood over me, knife in hand, manic laughter bubbling from his throat. I panicked for a moment, thrashing limbs entangling myself in my bedcoverings.

"Hello, landlord." Bakura grinned. "Have a nice sleep?"

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" I demanded, unwinding the sheets from around myself and rolling from the bed, unconcerned with my nakedness. I had other things on my mind. I reached for the Ring which normally hung around my neck waking and sleeping.

"Looking for this?"

I swore as Bakura pulled the Ring out from under his shirt. Then I gulped as a cold shiver of fear ran down my spine. This was _so_ not good.

"Now we shall see who is in charge, hikari." His tone made mock of the last word as he lunged for me, knife extended. I dodged, trying to keep the bed between us, but I knew that would be a losing proposition. I had to get out of the room - he was faster and stronger than I, so he would catch me eventually. "Hold still, brat." he hissed at me. "Its about time I teach you your place."

"No." I decided to take the last course he would expect, and lunged right at him. He dodged by reflex, holding his weapon up. I hissed as the blade tasted the flesh of my arm, drawing blood. Then I was past him, running for my life. He would have no compunctions about hurting me very badly.

I cursed myself as I ran for dropping my guard, just because he had seemed to have forgotten the fight we had, and had even been nice to me - okay, as nice as he ever got. I should have known better - I _did_ know better. He had a long memory for slights, and a longer one for embarrassment.

I reached the front door and jerked at the locks, cursing and pleading under my breath, listening to the footsteps behind me getting closer and closer.

I had opened the last one when a strong hand grabbed my hair, jerking my head back painfully. Cool steel touched my neck and I froze.

Oh God help me, he's going to kill me…

"Now, landlord, are you going somewhere?" he murmured in my ear while I fought off panic with all of my will. He jerked my hair again and I gasped, the pain bringing tears to my eyes.

"Well, Ryou?"

I hissed with pain, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction either an annswer or of knowing how scared I really was. He smiled and licked the tears now flowing silently down my cheeks.

"Trying to be tough, are we, landlord? Let us see what we can do about that." He levered me around; the knife at my neck goaded me, drawing slivers of blood if I didn't move fast enough. My arm had begun to throb as well - warm rivulets trickled from my fingertips. He led us to his bedroom, throwing me to his bed. He knelt to get something out from under it; his first mistake. He took his eyes off me and I ran, not daring to think of what he might do to me.

He caught me at the bedroom door, grabbing my shoulder and spinning me around. I went ballistic; hitting, clawing, biting, the terror of a trapped animal flowing through me as I attacked.

Then red pain washed through me and I knew nothing more.

………………………………...............................................................

I woke again, this time in pain. My arms, my head - all ached as though the very bones were bruised. A groan escaped me before I could contain it.

When I managed to get my eyes open, I found myself chained to Bakura's bed, still naked. I had a small range of movement, but not enough to reach off the bed. My legs were free, so I could scooch up until I was sitting on the pillows, which gave me a bit more slack to play with.

The windows were shuttered, but the bit of light through the cracks told me that the sun was still up. I had to get out of here - now. I really didn't want to be here when Bakura got back from wherever he had gone.

Luckily, having spent several years with the 'King of Thieves' in my head, I had picked up a few tricks - though I doubt Bakura realized it. He was pretty good at blocking me out, but not perfect. Not that I had ever told him that.

Being delicate was another advantage. I squeezed the bones of my left hand - the smaller one - as tight as they would go and started working it through the handcuff. Blood leaked as I tore the skin against the metal, but I ignored the pain and kept pulling. The blood lubricated my skin, making it slide through the opening a little easier.

The pain was still immense.

When that hand was free, I stopped to gather my will and my breath, trying to block out the agony of the maltreated limb. Then I reached for Bakura's nightstand. Please, please be in there, I thought as I managed to open the drawer, blood spotting the wood.

Inside where several bits of this and that - not his lock picks, damnit. But he did have another long, pointy objected - his jackknife. I picked it up and managed to wiggle the smaller of the blades out, using that to pick the lock of the other handcuff.

As it clicked free, I heard footsteps approaching down the hallway. Leaping as quietly as I could from the bed, I grabbed the first heavy object I could from the dresser - which turned out to be some obscure statue - and hid behind the door.

Not a moment too soon. I held my breath as the door opened, and the footsteps paused. I shoulder-blocked the door, slamming it into him. Bakura turned to look at me in utter shock as I brought the statue down with all my strength. He dropped like a boned fished at my feet.

I gasped for air; now that the immediate danger was past, my hand was really beginning to _hurt_. But I couldn't leave him there - I didn't dare.

I glance over at the bed and nodded to myself. That would work.

Unlike Bakura, I didn't make the mistake of underestimating my other self. He was sneaky, underhanded, cunning and clever - I would have to think like that.

So after I dragged his prone form to the bed, I handcuffed him to the headboard as he had me, but I wrapped the chains tighter so he had no slack. I took the Millennium Ring from around his neck and placed it back around mine. Then I went downstairs.

A moment later I came back with the rest of the supplies I would need. A small bit of builder's putty went into the keyholes of the handcuffs, and I tied his legs to the footboard so that he lay spreadeagled on the sheets. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions, but under the circumstances I couldn't find all that much sympathy for him.

Having hopefully secured him, I tended to my own wounds. Despite the blood and the pain, it was nothing serious - but it hurt to have most of the skin scraped off my hand. I popped a couple of Advil to help me deal with that and went back into the bedroom to check on my 'prisoner'.

He must have the constitution of a horse, because he was awake and glaring at me, albeit blearily, when I walked in.

"Well, well. I'm impressed, landlord." he growled, his tone all too calm. "You managed to turn the tables on me again. You going to make good your threat now?"

No fear; there was not sign of fear in his voice, only resignation overlaid by rage, as though he had merely lost a game. Maybe to him it was all a game, but not to me. I wanted to know why he did this. Why he insisted on treating me like dogshit when all I wanted was to be his partner and friend.

"Maybe." I answered, caressing the Ring. "You want to give me a good reason why I shouldn't?"

"No."

"Then give me a bad reason." I sat on the edge of the bed.

"Will you get on with it?" he demanded. "Or have you decided to truss me up for another reason? Gonna rape me now?"

"No."

"Why not? If our positions were reversed, I would. In fact, I was going to."

I blinked. If he was trying to shock me, it was working. "I don't float that way, Bakura. The thought of such a thing is repugnant." He wasn't _that_ good looking - and even if he was, and I _was_ gay, I would never take someone by force.

"Baka." His tone surprised me - contempt. "Rape has nothing to do with sex, and everything to do with power. It's a way to break someone to your will - to dominate them."

"Why?" I asked, honestly confused. "Do you really feel like you have to break and dominate me, yami?"

"_Yes_." he hissed. "I will have you begging me to stop, pleading, promising anything if I will only stop." He smiled, coldly. "Not that I would, of course - that's part of it. I would only stop when I want to - when I have you utterly helpless under me. And in that moment when your body betrays you and reacts to what I'm doing, then…" He didn't finish the sentence. I shuddered as my imagination filled in the rest. Which is exactly what he wanted, the bastard.

I rose and walked to the bottom of the bed. Idly checking the knots, I played for time as I marshalled my thoughts. "If I did rape you," I asked carefully, "would you really respond like that? Somehow I can't see you breaking that easily."

"I'm stronger than _you_, hikari." I looked up as he spoke, catching his narrow brown eyes with my wider ones; caught the glimpse of fear and self-loathing in the back of his gaze. I suddenly knew that he _had_ been raped, sometime in the far past. Raped and broken, a child with no hope and no life until he gave himself to the darkness…

I turned away, unwilling to look any further into those depths.

"I'm not going to send you to the Shadows, Bakura." I said at last, still not looking at him.

"Are you going to let me go instead? You know what will happen if you do."

"Yes, I know - I'm not stupid, my yami." Now I turned to face him. "No, Bakura. Here is what's going to happen - you are going to stay right there for a month. Don't worry, I'll take good care of you. And after that time, I will let you go and you can do what you want to me." I felt the Ring flare with power and smiled to myself.

Let the Shadow Game begin.


	2. Pale Darkness

Okay, this was supposed to be a sequel to Ryou and Bakura. Think of this as a possible outcome - very AU. This is turning into a much, much darker fic that I thought. I hate it when the characters take over the story.

Trust me; I have _no_ idea how this is going to end.

LEGEND:

thoughts  
_{flashbacks}  
_:mind to mind link:

DISCLAIMER: The characters aren't mine.

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White Shadows Chapter 2 - Pale Darkness

In the darkness of Ryou's bedroom, I rub my wrist and glare at nothing. My little bastard hikari has released all of my bonds except the chain on my right wrist, which still tethers me to the bed. I want to kill him. I really do. It's the only way I can be free of this wretched existence and return to the darkness of death. Even having my revenge on the Pharaoh can take back seat to this…prison. Not the Ring…that I don't mind. No, what I hate is this mockery of a 'life'. And as long as my hikari lives, so do I.

I have a heart now, and a body; blood flows through me. But I don't want it - as long as I was a mere spirit, I had all the power. I could take over Ryou whenever I felt a need to interact with the real world…and ignore it the rest of the time. Now I have to eat and sleep and shit…and remember. I can't lose myself in the dark anymore. Can't drown out the screams…pain…anger…despair…

Lights flickered on out in the hall; Ryou must be awake. The curtains are drawn, so I have no idea what time it is outside - for some reason, Ryou doesn't have a clock in his almost painfully neat room.

Who would have thought the little bastard would have mastered the Ring enough to call a shadow game? And on ME!

But he has, and now I'm stuck in this fucking room until Ryou releases me or a month passes. Those are the rules. I feel the shadows move whenever I contemplate escape. They won't let me cheat; if I try, they will twist my mind and leave my body a writhing mass of flesh, a tether to the real world that will bind me into mad insanity for as long as Ryou lives. Which would be a fate worse even than this unwanted mortality.

Ryou. He is the source of all my troubles. The little bastard wanted me out, gone, so he petitioned the Pharaoh, who petitioned the Gods or something and managed to create flesh to house my soul.

Fucking bastards. No one asked ME if I wanted to live again. No one. I don't want to live - I just want to destroy everything and pass into the darkness. I am the darkness…or I was. This heart, this blood, this body of mortal flesh is binding me into the world more every second. Filling me with emotion when all I want is purest hatred. Strength. Power.

"Good morning, Kura-chan!" Ryou carols as he walks into the room, carrying a tray. Breakfast in bed? I snort in disgust.

"Go away." I growl. Go away and leave me to the darkness…Gods, I hate the little fucker. So light and cheerful and happy all the time.

"Now, Kura-chan, there is no need to be rude." His voice is light, scolding. "You have to have breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day!"

Yuck. I haven't eaten breakfast…ever, I think. Stupid little shit. I eye the tray he lays on the bed. Cereal, some juice, toast and eggs. By Set and Ra, doesn't that kid even realize how much I hate this stuff?

"It's disgusting." I inform him. His lips turn down, irritation flashes through his brown eyes.

"You have to eat, Kura-chan. Or else you might get sick." Ryou pushes the tray closer to me; I ignore it and him.

Pain. My cheek explodes with it suddenly; the force of the blow knocks me to the bed. I regain myself to see Ryou standing over me, a spoon in one hand and his fist clenched around something hard in the other. The little fucker hit me! Again!

His tone is still light, but I can hear the steel behind it. "Eat, Kura-chan, or do I have to feed you?"

I reluctantly pull myself upright, reaching for the tray. I quickly down the food; I refuse to give him the satisfaction of forcing me. But the twinkle of his eyes and the pleased smile on his lips tells me that he's satisfied anyway.

Damn.

When I finish, he pats me on the head. "Good boy, Kura-chan. Do you want to go to the washroom?"

I nod, scowling. Give me a loophole, you little shit. Give me a loophole so I can break you…

"Then come on." He undoes the chain that binds me to the headboard and leads me to the bathroom, attaching the chain to the bathtub. At least he isn't going to watch me while I do my business. That would be too humiliating.

"Take a bath, Kura-chan." he orders me, tossing a towel in my general direction. I let it hit the floor. "Make sure you clean everywhere!" His tone promises an inspection.

Kill death kill KILL KILL I grab the towel, strip as best I can with one arm chained, and bathe.

My hair is still wet when he walks back into the room. As I expected, he gives me a thorough once-over before picking up a towel and drying my hair. His actions are almost motherly.

_{Gentle hands that had fed him, woven his clothing and dressed him, clenching at the sword emerging from her chest…red blood slipping though her fingers to pool on the ground at her knees } _I shake my head irritably, trying to bring my mind back to the present. Ryou smacks me lightly.

"Hold still, Kura-chan." He finishes his task - I growl silently at him, humiliation burning like bile in my throat.

"Don't call me that." I hiss.

"Kura-chan? Why not?" He sounds so utterly confused.

"Because its stupid."

Abruptly he spins me around; chocolate eyes glitter with madness in their depths. "But I like it, Kura-chan." he murmurs, softly, gently. "It's a term of affection. I am just trying to show you how much you mean to me, my yami."

I try not to shudder visibly as I nod. He smiles again, but that unsettling glitter still shows in the back of his eyes.

He's as mad as people think I am. Contrary to popular belief, I am not insane; I just have, what is the term…_anger management issues_.

Watch your entire village get slaughtered at the whim of a selfish bastard who never even cared about what he had done. Then you can talk to me about _anger management_.

I will get you, Ryou. You just wait. One month and you are _mine_.

He looks at me; a smile plays on his lips as he dresses me, manipulating my limbs like an oversized doll. He can see the rage in my eyes - I make no effort to hide it. But that damned smile never leaves his face.

When he is done, he unhooks my chain and leads me back to the bedroom.

I am already sick of his room, but at least maybe now he'll leave me alone.

No such luck. He sits on the bed beside me, an inquisitive tilt to his head. "Kura-chan…do you remember the first time you spoke to me?" Oh, Gods - now we've got to have the _nice little chat._ Somebody shoot me - or better yet, him.

"Of course I do, yadonushi." I smirk as he winces at the name. Landlord; I lost track of the times I called him that. Words can be a weapon - the only one I have in this situation.

"You said that you would grant my wishes." Ryou murmured. "But you never granted my greatest one."

I sneer. "You wanted a partner? A helpmeet, someone to guide and protect you? Sorry, yadonushi. You were nothing more than a convenient vessel for me - that's all. A servant for my desires - a rebellious servant, but a servant nevertheless."

"You used to protect me, when we were still one. You used me and you protected me, yami…why?"

"I was protecting myself, baka." A lie - I used to have a bit of gentle feelings for the boy, before he locked me in this damned prison. It's very hard to hate someone whose soul you share. But now all I feel is contempt and hate - for him, or for myself. It makes little difference, really.

"I see." He gives me a bright, brittle smile. "It's almost time for lunch, Kura-chan." I blink at the apparent non-sequitor. "I'll make you a nice, healthy meal and then we'll talk again." He leans over and gives me a brotherly kiss on the forehead. "Meanwhile, I'll leave you alone with your thoughts." The Ring glints in the overhead light as he rises.

I watch as he leaves. That hint of madness in his eyes is growing - why? What made him snap like that?

Me? Possibly - but… I rise and turn off the lights, bathing the room in peaceful darkness. At least this way I don't have to stare at the walls - the blackness is much more restful. I lie down on the bed, close my eyes, enjoy the silence.

Damn it to fucking Set, my mind won't stop working.

Ryou has gone sun-crazy - that is quite evident by his actions. Most people think that insanity is always accompanied by eccentric, violent behaviour. Not always.

The quiet ones - sometimes they're the ones to watch out for.

But what _had_ made him snap like that? It couldn't be me - I had tried to kill him, yes, but I had a good reason - right?

Why in the name of Anubis am I thinking like this? Guilt cramps in my gut - like the time Malik convinced me to set Ryou up to take the hit from Osiris the Sky Dragon. Doubt makes my mind run in little circles.

Ryou - what did you do to me? I shiver - these are not normal feelings for me. I try to summon up anger, hate…but the guilt gets in the way, a wall of blue-white that prevents me from thinking straight. The Millennium Ring - it has the power to manipulate souls. He must have used it on me.

"Bastard." I relax into the gloom, try to draw the darkness into myself. It soothes me - I shed the unwanted emotion into the air, or try at least.

Too soon Ryou returns with my lunch. I try to refuse; he hits me again, but I can not maintain the shreds of my dignity if I simply give into what he wants me to do. Damn him - the food is tasteless in my mouth - some kind of salad and sandwich. I would rather taste sweet blood pouring from him, bathing my hands in the red liquid…

_{Blood like a river over the ground, the earth too rocky to drink it. Red flow from the bodies of my mother, father, sister, brothers…the sweet copper smell mixing with the corrupt stench of opened bowels and released bladders. The knife in my hands as I twist it in the body of the bastard who killed my family, but there are too many. Too many for one boy to kill, so I flee, the scent of death still thick in my nostrils, blood on the blade in my hand. I lick the warm metal; taste my enemy. On the cliff overlooking the village I stop, turning back to see the only home I knew utterly destroyed.}_

Bile rises in my throat. I choke on the food - Ryou rubs my back and I jerk away from the gentle touch. His eyes narrow and he slaps me. "That was not nice, Kura-chan." Then his expression changes again. "I'm so sorry, my yami, but I care for you. Please, I just want what's best for you." His large eyes fill with tears - I want to retch again. He is such a whiner.

"Silly hikari." I mock. "Poor, silly hikari. You want what's best for me?"

"Yes, yami."

"Then kill yourself, you little bastard, so I can be rid of you."

His eyes go wide and shocked. "You really hate me that much, Bakura?"

I smirk. No more Kura-chan, hmmm? "Yes."

He stares at me in open-mouthed shock for a long moment. "But if I die, then you die!"

"Yes." Smart little bastard. I keep the smirk as I suddenly realize a way to win this game before the month is out. If I can push him all the way over the edge… convince him to take his own life… not as satisfying as killing him myself, but quicker.

He's still staring at me.

A giggle escapes his lips.

I can practically see the last strands of sanity part in his mind. Perfect.

He blinks wide brown eyes at me. "I love you, Kura-chan." He giggles again. "I can't let you die, my yami. I love you - I know you don't really hate me."

This kid is in serious denial. "Yes, actually I do."

A frown. He slaps me. "Bad yami."

I growl. One more hit and Shadow Game or not, he's toast.

Then he leans over and strokes the cheek he just struck. "Oh, Kura-chan. I'm so sorry…I lost my temper. Please forgive me." He kisses my cheek, a tender gesture. I freeze.

Ra, no… It's too light in here - I can't banish the memories… My breath hitches in my throat, choking me. The face of my hikari is overlaid for a moment with another, older and more grizzled, covered with scars, stroking my bleeding cheek. Speaking those same words.

_{"I'm so sorry, 'Kura. I lost my temper. Please forgive me." A hand touches my kilt…I whimper and shake my head in denial. "You have to forgive me, 'Kura. Pretty 'Kura, my little joy…}_

I feel warm arms, stronger than they look, wrap around and draw me close. I can't breathe - warm tears flow down my cheeks. I can't help it - the tender touch undoes me.

"Hush, Kura-chan." Ryou murmurs as he strokes my back, coaxes the tears from me. Against my will my body relaxes into his embrace, shame old and new blushing my cheeks as I wail into the soft shoulder.

When the tears stop, Ryou pulls away just enough to look down at my face. "Feel better?" he asks me. I shake my head, still reliving the memories of the bastard who broke me.

He cuddles me against him. I growl, but I don't have the strength right now to fight him off - and a part of me likes the comfort. The other part burns with hatred.

But he did this to me. He made me weak. He saw me _cry._

For that, he will die.

I don't care anymore. I will not… No! Memory crashes over me, guilt threatens to overwhelm me… I don't care about the game, or the consequences. _I just want the pain to stop…_

I reach up and wrap the chain around Ryou's neck, pulling it taunt, spinning him over so he's on the bed, pinned. It's so easy. So easy…His eyes are wide with surprise and pain; I shudder and pull the chain tighter as he claws at the links.

Die. Please, Ra, _die!_

"Bakura…" he whispers. His eyes darken, going blank as he struggles for a single sip of oxygen. "I love you…yami…hitori…boku…"

With a scream, I pull the chain as hard as it will go, snapping his neck.

The whole world seems to pause as I stare down at the lifeless form of my hikari, waiting for peaceful oblivion. He is dead - I can die.

Please, Osiris, let me die. The Shadows wrap around me; darkness suffocates me and I know no more.

AVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAAVAVAVAVA

The darkness clears. I find myself in a different place - a royal throne room in the Ancient Egyptian style. I rise from my prone position, looking around for the Judge of the Dead. With the crimes on my heart, I expected Ammet to eat my soul before I woke.

Shadows shift oddly in the room, swirling around the walls, not dispelled by the torches which provide light. Movement calls my attention to the throne on the dais before me.

A figure sits there, dressed in the regalia of a Pharaoh. I swear aloud as I recognize it as Atem. Can I not escape him even in death?

Then I take another look. Wait…that isn't Atem at all. That's Yugi, his baka hikari! He watches me, amethyst eyes cold. A moment later Atem appears from behind the throne, taking the right-hand place of advisor.

"Bakura." Yugi states; his voice rings with authority. "You have broken the Shadow Game, and therefore you must accept your punishment."

"You do not have the right to judge me, little Yugi." I glare at Atem. "What's the matter, Pharaoh? To good to pass judgement over a petty thief like me?" I see the flash of anger in his shadowed violet eyes and smirk. If I get him mad enough to banish me to the shadow realm, I will be free…

"Normally I would set your Punishment Game with pleasure, Bakura, but as your crime is against your hikari, mine has claimed the right of judgement."

Well, this will be interesting. Yugi is - was - Ryou's friend. It is a little surprising that he would override his yami, but at least he should be mad enough to order the same thing that Atem would do.

"Yami no Bakura." Yugi's voice is cold and clear. "You have failed in your duty as a protector and a guide for your other self. You have killed your hikari, and broken the rules of a Shadow Game to do it. For this I will set your punishment."

A third eye begins to glow in the centre of his forehead, through the golden crown.

"You have failed as a protector of the soul. Therefore I revoke your Shadow Magic and the Millennium Ring that provides it." I take a breath and let it out slowly. Not that I will need magic in the belly of Ammet…

"You have failed as a guide for Ryou Bakura, your hikari, and drove him insane in the process. Therefore I bind him to you, until the day that you guide him back to that which you stole from him." A white ghost appears, circling me. I can see the features of Ryou, weeping at my final betrayal.

"You sought to end your existence; therefore, I grant you life eternal, until the day you accept the evil that you have wrought." The third eye glows bright as the sun with the final pronouncement.

I shake my head in denial, horror churning in my stomach. "Oh Ra, no please no…"

"Punishment Game!"

AVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVA

I wake to find myself in my own bedroom. For a moment, I think that it had been nothing more than a horrible, terrible dream.

Then I hear a whisper in my mind.

:I love you, mou hitori no boku.: Ryou giggles.

I drop my head into my hands and weep at the cruelty of the Light.

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Don't worry - this isn't the end. Stay tuned for the next chapter of White Shadows.


	3. A New Life

Gomen for the long wait, and thanks to all my readers! The reviews always help! (hint hint.) Anyway, I know this is short, and doesn't really advance the plot…but I think it's interesting.

Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!. If I did, the whole Doom arc would never have been made.

White Shadows 3 - New Life

I don't know how many times I've tried to die now. It doesn't matter - it never works. Every time I wake to find myself tucked into bed, clean and with a no-doubt disgustingly healthy meal in my stomach.

I can't die. I can never die, and it's all his fault. I may go mad in white linen, but no matter what happens he will always take care of me.

Ryou.

My hikari.

My insane Ryou, who says he loves me.

Damn him.

_Damn him!_

I've had to take over the life my hikari left behind when I killed him. Not that I want to, but there is little choice in the matter if I want to keep food on the table and Child Welfare services out of my hair. So now I go to school, eat, sleep and try to pretend that everything is wonderful.

I may end up killing those stupid girls if they don't stop giggling at me.

The Pharaoh and his brat are still in my class, but I refuse to speak to either of them. Yugi did this to me… put this curse on me… and I know that if I ever spoke with either one of them I would utterly humiliate myself, begging them to take the spell off. Anything to be free of this hell.

But they won't…I know they won't. I won't put myself through that for nothing. Atem will just put on his air of superiority and Yugi will give me his 'you did this to yourself' look. Then I would have to kill them. Not that Ryou would let me.

:You haven't eaten yet, Bakura-chan: Ryou whispers in my mind.

:I'll eat at lunchtime.: I wrinkle my nose in disgust. Now I will have to make good on my promise - or pay the consequences. Ryou is very particular about making sure I take care of myself.

Like the time I tried to go three weeks without a bath. I blacked out and woke clean, my skin almost rubbed raw, and had to listen to a lecture on hygiene for most of an hour.

:Make sure it's more than ramen and fish. You need your vegetables.:

I don't answer. Instead I concentrate on the teacher, who's rambling on about some war that happened fifty years ago. These modern schools are a waste of time and effort… I'd rather be out supplementing my income.

:Stealing is wrong, yami.: Ryou notes quietly. I felt a shifting in the Ring and suppress a shudder.

:I'm not going out stealing, Ryou.: A wash of contentment flows through me; reward for good behaviour, I imagine. Bastard.

Why won't he just let me die? Is it the curse? No…he IS my curse, the bane of my unwanted existence.

:Love you, Kura-chan: Ryou giggles again, his mood shifting like sand in a windstorm. I try to shrug out of his mental hug. :Love you always, mou hitori no boku.:

Damn him. I hate him. My weakling other half - but he's not so weak anymore, is he? Yugi - _damn the brat to Hell for a thousand thousand years! - _gave him the powers of the Ring. I can't use it anymore. I have no power. None.

The lunch bell rings - I stand with the rest of the sheep and walk out of the room into a hallway full of bodies. I growl as I see the 'girls' heading towards me, ready to kidnap me again. I hate that - I really, really want to do something permanent to them, but my hikari says that's not _nice. _ And stealing isn't moral - and killing is wrong too. Fucking hikari and his fucking modern standards of right and wrong.

I reach out and slip a wallet out of a passing pocket, the owner never noticing. I smile as the thrill of victory runs through me - nice to know I haven't lost my touch.

:Bad Bakura.: Ryou scolds me before the world quite suddenly goes black.

I wake in my soul room, a place filled with the remnants of my previous life in Egypt as well as a massive collection of knives from all over the world. I like it here - I used to spend most of my time in here, leaving the minute details of living to Ryou. I would use his body when I needed to, but I paid my rent - protecting him from nasty people and granting his wishes - albeit in my own fashion.

There is only one option left. I need the Millennium Items.

Yugi - _may he be eaten by Ammet_ - stripped me of the ability to use the Ring, but not the other items. Getting a hold of them might be difficult, but not impossible. I still have the Eye…but I will need to think long and hard before using it. The power it contains is considerable - and so is the price of it's use.

Suddenly the wall of my soul room begins to shift and I groan, filing my thoughts far back in the recesses of my mind. Ryou's coming - I know what that means.

Like an angel he floats into my soul-room, the light from his robes and one white wing blinding. The other wing is black and crippled, broken; his left arm is maimed inside the cloth. It's strange, but he only looks like that in my soul-room - in his own, he looks much as he did alive.

He smiles gently at me…"You've been a bad boy, Bakura. What do you say?"

I clench my jaw and say nothing. Maybe this time I can hold out for a little longer.

His eyes narrow as he gestures, waving his good hand. The shadows of the room swirl over my limbs, hanging me spread-eagled in midair. "Don't make me do this, Bakura." He floats closer, runs a gentle hand through my hair. "You know stealing is wrong - all you have to do is say you're sorry. Then I will forgive you, my yami."

I spit in his face. "You and your fucking stupid morality can go to Hell, you little shit."

I smirk as his features twist in anger, his good hand closing into a fist. Then he laughs quietly.

"Oh, Kura-chan, you are so angry. I'm sorry for this." He drops his good and and brings up the maimed one. I frown - he's hit me, beaten me, even whipped me once. But he's never used his maimed hand before. What is he doing?

The withered fingers close over my head and the world shifts.

{_Rain flickers through the grates of my cage, the rare rainfall that graces Khemet in the spring. I try to catch the drops on my tongue - it has been three days since I was fed, and two since they gave me water. To tame me, the slave-masters claim. I will not be tame for the spawn of those who killed my family. I will kill them with my own two hands; I will strip the Pharaoh of his treasures - from his tomb if I must. I will dishonour his name and his grave and take my vengeance to any and all who share his blood…_

_One of the guards opens my cage and hauls me out, my eleven year old body unable to struggle against his strength. He throws me against the wall in a room that is dry; I land at the feet of a slave-master. He grins down at me._

"Ready to serve me now, little pale one?" he asks. I snarl at him, clawing and biting as I attack like a beast. No one will break me.

He throws me off him, his fist connecting with my ribs. I hear the crunch of bone but twist to my feet, fists raised. The bastard smiles at me, amused.

"It seems I will have to teach you your place, Bakhura." A smile firms his lips at my look of surprise. How had he discovered my name? He reaches for me, backhanding me when I try to bite. Then he starts to beat me.

I feel the break of bones in my chest, my arm, even the crack of my skull hitting the hard dirt floor, making me see stars.

"I'm sorry, little one, but this is for your own good." the slave-master smiles gently as I glare at him helplessly. He reaches for my kilt, stripping it from my body, leaving me exposed. I try to squirm, but the pain is too much; I can't move.

He grabs me -I cry out as the motion grates my broken bones together. He strips off his robe and loincloth. I close my eyes at the hardness of his body, turning away. Pain exploded through me as he forced himself in me - I felt as thought I might split in two.

Pain.

Agony as he thrust faster.

Red echoes explode behind my eyes.

Screams.

Begging.

Pleading.

Tears.

"I'm sorry…"

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

When he's done, he holds my broken body close, the blood from my wounds never staining his white robes. My mouth is moving, whispering "I'm sorry" wetly over and over again. The pain…Ra, it hurts. But not as much as the humiliation. My cheeks burn as I lay cuddled in his arms.

"Of course I forgive you, my beloved yami. You know I don't like doing this to you, but I love you so much and this is for your own good."

I cough on the blood flowing from my mouth, licking my lips and savouring the taste; someday I will taste his sweet blood when I kill him for good.

I hate him. I hate him forever.


	4. Tears of Blood

Next chapter here. I still have no idea what's going to happen.

White Shadows 4 – Tears of Blood

I don't want to do this to him, do I? Why do I hurt him so much?

_I want him to say he's sorry. Sorry for hurting me. Sorry for killing me. I want..._

But I can't make him, can I? Nothing...no, I can make him. He's my other half, and I love him. I'll always take care of him and one day he'll love me in return. I know he will.

Because...he's my other me. He can't hate me. He can't – if he hates me...do I hate me?

_I hate him._

Yes...no...He's crying again, tears of blood. Who did this to him? Me?

No...I love him. I love him...I just wanted him to say 'I'm sorry'. Is that so much to ask? He loves me – he just doesn't know it.

He loves me. I love him. He is yin to my yang, the flip side of the coin, the second half of my soul... My brother, my other...tell me you love me...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_The kids at school always call me by his name – which is my name too, but that's beside the point. They laugh and wave and call "Hey, Bakura..." if only they knew who I really was. If only I could show them..._

_I walk into the bathroom, placing Ryou's backpack on the counter and leaning over the sink to wash my hands. I scrub at the too-pale skin roughly, the sensation invigorating. Then I splash water on my face, hoping to wake myself up. School is such a bore. _

_I look in the mirror, white bangs dripping with water, and see **his** face. Wide blue eyes and gentle features stare back at me from the silvered glass. I glare at the reflection, willing my own face to appear – wilder bat-winged hair, narrow, darker blue eyes...but nothing happens. I'm staring at his face – staring at my face. _

_I look just like **him**._

The wail of terror is still hanging in the air as I scramble out of nightmare, shuddering with reaction. I slide out of bed and go to the mirror – my reflection stares back at me with wild hair and dark blue eyes. But still – is that a touch of gentleness in the set of the mouth, a taint of softness in the eyes? No...I can't be broken. Not by **him.**

:Tell me you love me...: The thought drifts from Ryou's soul room. I shiver – but he's still sleeping, still dreaming. For a moment I'm free.

The knife is in my hand – I'm not sure how it got there, but it's in my grasp, the handle hard and solid and comforting. I raise it to my hair – it should be shorter, so I chop off those long silvery locks until they just brush my shoulders.

Better. But still not enough. I raise a finger to my right eye, trace a memory over the lid and down the cheek. I used to have a scar... right there... I remember that night...

--Flashback –

Bakhura slipped the tiny sliver of bone into his wrist shackles, working the fragile object through the copper bonds. The lock was simple enough – he had it memorized after so many months of close association. Finally, the lock clicked open, falling to the straw-covered ground with a muffled thunk. The boy – though no longer truly a boy, he had not been since his ninth year – rose, tying the cloth of his smock closer about him. He would free himself of this place – but first he had a stop to make. He undid the lock attaching the chain to the wall and wrapped the cool metal links carefully around his hand.

The master's house was not far away; after six month of 'training', he knew the way well. Like a ghost he slipped through the night. His master's room was at the back, but likely in this weather he would be sleeping on the roof, to take advantage of the cool night air.

Bakhura smiled at the ladder leading to said roof, one hand fondling the wood before he slid up, bare feet making less noise than the wind. As he expected, his master lay there on a straw pallet, nakedness exposed to the stars of Nut. The boy slipped across the roof to the man, unwrapping the heavy chain as he went. The clanking of the copper links sounded overly loud in the night air; the slave master woke with a start. Bakhura stopped as the man's eyes opened, uncertain now. He had thought to strangle the man in his sleep – sudden fear raced through him, paralyzing his limbs.

"Boy...Bakhura...what are you doing here?" A smirk crossed the man's lips. "You want to play now? I must have trained you better than I thought..."

The boy snarled, fear banished behind blinding rage. He swung the chain, the copper weight unwieldy. Bakhura stumbled as his master ducked the clumsy swing, over balanced. The man caught the front of his smock before he could react, throwing him on the pallet and pinning him there.

"I think it's time you were given a slave-mark, boy." The master produced a knife from under the pallet and brought it down; blinding red pain laced through Bakhura's face; agony exploded in his right eye. He screamed, but there was no one to hear save the man who laughed wickedly at his cries. A second line cut across his cheek, and a third – warm blood ran down the side of his face like tears. He screamed again, a primal sound of fear and hate...and the shadows moved.

:You want him dead...yes?:

Set...the pain must be making him hallucinate. Now he was hearing voices. His diaphram knotted in agony.

:Trade, child of the dead...know the bargain; I will give you strength, and revenge and you will give me...power, freedom.:

He felt the master's hands ripping at his clothes and the rage built to overflowing. Surely he was mad...but it didn't matter. :Yes!:

:The bargain is made.: Dark power flowed through him...Bakhura screamed again, this time with fierce joy as he felt a tug on his soul, felt _something_ forming above him, a _something_ that ripped his master off of him and threw him into the roof with enough force to crack the mud-brick. He climbed to his feet, still naked and no longer caring, as a creature spawned from the shadows loomed over him. He felt no fear – this was the creature of his bargain, the creature that would give him revenge. He stalked over to his master; his hate gave him strength he never knew he possessed, and almost lovingly he wrapped the chain around the man's neck, pulling it taut. He watched as the man's face turned blue, as his tongue protruded and his limbs twitched in need for air. He watched...and smiled.

end flashback –

I'm still staring at the reflection when I come back to myself. Staring at the picture of Ryou in the mirror, the picture of his face. My face. I raise the knife again.

My face. The pain as the blade slides through the flesh is exquisite – I savour it as I do the pain I cause in others. This is my strength, the price I will pay to be free of this curse. Blood slides down my cheek, dripping off my chin in a solid rivulet. The blade tastes me again – across the first cut, over my cheekbone. It burns like fire, like ice. I shiver in something resembling ecstasy.

:Kura-chan!: He's awake now, but it's too late. The third slash is in place, parallel to the second. Sign of my oath; my binding and my freedom. I gave my soul to the darkness – until Diabound was destroyed, and Zork Necrophisisu was defeated, and the Pharaoh returned, triumphant. I look in the mirror, finally seeing my own face staring back at me...and the bitter tears of longing that mingle with the blood on my cheek.

Death...would have been a blessing.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Kura-chan...why...what...you hurt yourself again, Kura-chan, and you don't want me to help. Why? I don't understand. I just want to help.

Don't you understand? I love you...please, love me too! I pull him into his soul-room, joining him in there moments later. He's up against the wall again, surrounded by the remnants of his life this time. But there is something new here – spirits of darkness, of the dead. They don't come near me, but I can sense them.

"Why, Kura-chan? Why? I don't want to do this to you...please, say it. Say you're sorry...please..."

"Rot in Hell, Ryou." I wince at the words, at the tone. Always so harsh – I just want to help him.

..._punish him_...

I lash out with a hand, a whip of darkness cutting at his flesh. But the spirits block the blow.

Take away his pain.

..._break him_...

He's laughing at me now, a wild, wicked sound. "You can't do it anymore, Ryou! I WILL be free!

Love him.

..._make him pay for KILLING ME!_

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	5. Owari

Here is the final chapter of White Shadows. Special thanks to go to my honorary muse Bakura's Angel, who suggested the final fate of Bakura and Ryou, and to my beta readers Cha Oseye Tempest Thrain and DracOnyx.

Thanks to everyone who reads this – I appreciate your patience.

White Shadows – Chapter 5

I close my eyes, listening to the screaming of my landlord in my mind. Ryou howls like a beast, barricaded by the power of my family's ghosts and my Dark God. The moment I renewed my oath to the Dark One, his power protected me from the wrath of my hikari and I was partially free of the curse. I may still be immortal, and still blocked from using Shadow Magic, but now I can plan – I can act without Ryou interfering. And in that instant of communion with Zork, I understood.

I have to go back. Go back to my lost village, to the tomb where Atem sealed the Dark God. I may have been beaten, but Zork had only been destroyed within the game – a part of him, it seemed, still sleeps in the real world. And all I have to do is go and wake him up.

I'll need all the Items again…just stealing them will do. I would like to be able to use their powers, but it doesn't matter. For this, I won't have to.

Yugi first; wielder of the Puzzle and the Tauk, bane of my existence. I slip into Yugi's bedroom silently – and smirk as I see both Yugi and the Pharaoh tucked into the bed, sound asleep. The bedroom is simple and plain…with both Puzzle and Tauk laying out on the bedside table, free for the taking. I could just steal the Items, but that wouldn't be enough…I want my revenge, and Ryou can't stop me.

With the grace and stealth of a shadow, I creep across the room, ignoring the impotent howling of my light half as I draw a thin, deadly knife. Neither stir as I raise the blade, slashing it across the exposed throat of the Pharaoh in a single motion.

Blood flies everywhere as I sever the artery; he doesn't even have time to realize he's dead before his body goes limp. Yugi wakes, screaming at the blood soaking himself and his darkness, eyes dilated and mad with shock. For a moment I debate leaving him alive in pain; then I remember that as long as he lives, the Pharaoh has a foothold on the world and my knife falls again, stilling the screams forever.

I smirk as I take the golden Puzzle and Tauk; Zork's voice whispers in my mind, instructing me to bathe them in the mingled blood of the Pharaoh and his light. My laughter fills the room – at last, at long last, the Pharaoh's line is gone.

I wish I had time to savor the deed, but there will be opportunity for that later – for now I run, leaving my triumph behind. Ryou begs me to stop, but I ignore him.

At least until I get outside, making my way to the home of my next prey, licking the blood from my knife and fingers. :Why should I be sorry, Ryou: I taunt my light half, who howls in rage and pain. :Because I killed them? Because I destroyed you? You are just one of the many hosts I have had throughout my life, yandoushi. You are nothing to me. They are nothing to me.:

The mansion of Seto Kaiba is vast and well guarded, but to one of my skills it is a simple puzzle. He doesn't know I'm coming for the Rod in his possession, the Item he refuses to acknowledge. It takes me less time than I expected to find Rod – he left it on the table in the family room, no doubt exactly where Yugi put it down. I take it, running my fingers gently over the smooth surface. The golden Eye glimmers for a moment before dying… a warning. It calls its true Master. I don't want to fight Kaiba awake and aware, so I wait, hiding in the shadows until footsteps enter the room, the light flickering on to reveal Kaiba, dressed in only black silk pajamas. With a swift movement I unsheathe the knife in the Rod and impale the billionaire on the sharp blade. Kaiba gasps, ice blue eyes widening as his mind takes in the pain and the shock, his knees collapsing as the weapon greedily drinks in his blood. It's a heart-shot…he's dead in seconds.

:At least I'm not being cruel, Ryou.: I smirk at my light half, who's shaking now. The wails died at some point, and he's watching me with a dead look in his eyes. Good – now maybe he'll leave me alone.

I pull the knife out – the blood literally absorbs into the Item, tainting the gold ruddy. Curious, I pull out the Puzzle and the Tauk to see that the same thing has happened to them. So, the blood sacrifice is changing the Items. I suppose I will have to offer my blood for the Ring and the Eye…but that can wait. For now I slink through the house, looking for Kaiba's safe.

In some ways Khemet hasn't changed since my time. The people swear by a different God, but thieves and beggars, murderers and whores still prowl the streets, looking for victims. It's almost homey.

It's been a couple of days since I left Japan, using money stolen from Kaiba to buy a ticket to Egypt – and a false passport. Now no one knows where I am…even the man who sold me the papers will only be telling his story to Anubis. Ryou hasn't moved from his position in my soul room – I vaguely wonder if he's given up on me entirely. That would be nice…he can be annoying, and I need my wits about me. For the next person I need to find is Shadi – holder of the Scales and the Ankh, and a dangerous adversary. By now he will know that I am coming, so I have to use a different plan of attack.

The Pharaoh's curse is working **_for_ **me now…I'm cut off from the Shadow Realm, so Shadi can't sense me. He can still sense the Items, though … something I'm counting on. I spot a vendor with the supplies I need and absently barter him down to a reasonable price. I will need food and water, and a camel…it's not wise to cross the desert on foot if it can be avoided, and my village is at least four days from here.

Supplied, I find a spot to wait for the heat of the day to dissipate, absently watching the pickpockets ply their trade.

:Kura-chan: Ryou whispers suddenly. :Kura, why did you kill them? I don't understand…:

:They were in my way.: I answer coldly. :And the Pharaoh…he deserved it. His power rested on the bodies and souls of my people…he deserved no less, and certainly a great deal more than the painless death I gave him.:

:Kura-chan…why did you kill me:

I almost choked on a sip of water. Ryou…sounded almost sane. What had happened? Had the shock of seeing his friends die actually brought him back from insanity?

:Kura…answer me, please. Why did you kill me:

:Because I hate you and I want to be free of you and this life.: I am many things, but a liar isn't one of them. Honesty is more powerful than lies, and often hurts far worse.

:And now…you will free Zork and take over the world:

:Take it over: I smirk at the helpless spirit of my former host. :Why would I want to run this rat-infested, polluted hellhole? I want to destroy it, yandoushi.:

:Oh.: Ryou shivered slightly; I saw the pale blue of his eyes fill with water and turned away in disgust before he started bawling.

Four days, and I find myself in the ruins of Kuru Erna, my former home. Ryou hasn't spoken to me during the entire time – a blessing. It's hard to appreciate silence until you can't have it.

I hold in my hands all seven Items. As I expected, Shadi came to me in the desert – but because he couldn't sense me, I managed to ambush him. I took his Items and bathed them in his heart's blood – now there is only the last two. But I can't see where I need to go – with my powers blocked, the path to the Gate is barred. I need that information.

And there is one way to get it. I pick up the Eye and hold it in my hand, staring down at it. Sometimes I wonder why I stole it in the first place – I've never used it. The price is too great.

But I don't care now. I press the Eye to my head and scream as it erupts in light and fire, gouging out my left eye to make room for the golden orb. The pain is excruciating… but not more than I have felt before.

Less than a minute later and it is over. I blink open my good eye, still awash with tears, and search for the path.

There. I set the camel loose – I won't need it anymore – and follow the path to the Gate. I will pay the price – I will destroy the world, and myself with it.

The Gate looms before me – I stare at the carvings, mouth dry with anticipation. It's almost time. Time to cast aside this mortal shell. Time to finally beat the Pharaoh at this game. My hands don't shake as I place the Item's in the slots; I pull the Eye from my own face with a grimace of pain and smear some of the running blood on the Ring before I place them in their places.

I will summon my Dark God to me. I know that he will do this – he wishes to destroy the world as much as I do. The Items start to glow as I kneel by the slab and the earth shivers as the door to the Other World opens.

/What do you wish of me/ Zork's voice echoes through me as I shiver in rapture.

"Master…I desire the end of all things. I wish to end this world and this existence. I have served you always…I implore you, grant my plea."

/As you wish…but I demand a sacrifice. Whose life do you offer for this boon/

"My own. Take my soul Master…take me from this realm and time. I wish only oblivion."

/Very well./ Darkness engulfs me – the pain is delicious. I fall into it, knowing that I will never feel anything again.

Darkness fades to shadow and I open my eyes.

No!

I wasn't supposed to wake up!

"You are with me now." Zork whispers. "I get lonely in the dark…and now you will be with me until the end of time…"

Epilogue

The stars shine with cold light on the Tablet of the Gate. All is quiet, the darkness fading to normal night.

Fallen in a pose of supplication, a white-haired body twitched. Slowly the hands moved, levering the body upwards until the face could shake clear the blood-soaked strands of hair.

Ryou looked around. He was alone in his mind…Kura was gone. Gone forever…

No. He shook his head in fierce denial.

Not gone.

A mad laugh escaped his lips. He looked at the Slab. The Items gleamed in red-gold perfection, calling him. He was the last…the last of the Item-bearers, save Isis and Malik. He would take them…he would use them.

If need be, he would destroy the world – rip it apart at the seams to retrieve the other half of his soul.

He would get his yami back from the clutches of the Darkness and bring him to the Light where he could protect him.

Forever.


End file.
